*Repair works on cracks in the bridge over the Koel River are going on

All trains will be kept off tracks on the Ranchi- Lohardaga route till March 2026.

This was announced by General Manager, South Eastern Railway Division, Anil Kumar Mishra.

His announcement comes after Railway experts examined cracks on bridge pillars over the Koel River between Nagjua and Lohardaga stations on the Ranchi-Lohardaga-Tori section on Tuesday. Train services were affected due to cracks in bridge number 115. 

Railway experts from the Railway Board and headquarters have assessed the situation and were in the process to evolve solutions.

The 18635 Ranchi–Sasaram Express was canceled until and the 18636 Sasaram–Ranchi Express was canceled from Tuesday.The 08611 Santragachi - Ajmer Special Express (January 5) will be diverted via Muri - Barkakana - Tori due to the cracks.

A major railway disaster was averted on January 4(Sunday)when three passenger trains, including the Rajdhani Express and Sasaram Express, crossed a damaged railway bridge in Lohardaga, Jharkhand, before operations were abruptly suspended. The incident had triggered panic among travellers.

According to railway officials, bridge number 115 over the Koel River on the Lohardaga-Ranchi-Tori rail line had developed cracks in its supporting pillars. Repair work was already underway on pillar number 5, which had a partial crack.